Thursday, February 19, 2009

Its late. In fact, its so late that its early. And here I am in my work clothes and babooshka, typing up a quick entry before bed.

The contractor did, in fact, come today, so my 1/2 day off of work was not for naught. Today was the day he was going to put in the custom countertops (important because our kitchen has a strange angle to the far wall and I wanted to close that off before another generation of food crumbs and cat fur could gather...). I had to leave when he and his partner were halfway thru but this is what Mike, Donovan and I came home toNote that the bottom cabinet in the photo above looks very happy and content. The contractor put in the countertop, the sink, the faucet, the range hood and the handles on the doors which, if I do say so myself, make the look.Amy asked for a close up of the formica. Its rather timeless in that it doesnt look of a particular vintage. And I do like the combination of white and green.You'll note we still have to redo the wall behind everything. The good news is that we got some bad news today: the flooring that was supposed to go in this coming Thursday won't be in until the end of the month. The month in question being March. At first I was livid but then I realized that we now have time to prime and paint the ceiling and walls--on the old schedule that was going to have to happen on Monday or Tuesday of next week. Because there's so much time before the floor, the contractor put in the dishwasher--he'd been waiting because the "subfloor" needs to go under it so the new flooring doesnt trap it. So, despite the lack of a new floor and the need for paint (and a few other little trim and moulding things) its time to take back the kitchen.

That means its time to unpack the chickens:The chickens are from my Mom's family and I've always had a soft spot for them. They were on a high shelf on a hutch in the kitchen before but they just got greasy with no one paying them any attention. I specifically requested the 3 shelves next to the sink with them in mind. The first order of business was to scrub the dust and grime off them. Now they are nice and shiny, looking just fine on their shelves. The top shelf is currently open--my Mom tried to pawn an antique chicken cookie jar on me last time I was home--I'm hoping it will fit up there...

Whew, where did all that time go? Its turning out to be a strange morning: I'm taking 1/2 a day off of work so I can be here in the morning when the contractor brings our countertop. But the contractor just called saying the roads are icing up and he may not be able to come by until later. When I said, "OK, but I need to be at work by 3" his response was a sharp intake of breath followed by a doubtful exhale.

Stay tuned: hopefully I will be able to follow up with photos of our new counter and sink. Won't that be worth waiting for?

Sunday, February 8, 2009

I really should have posted some "Before" images but, really, you don't want to see that mess. All dark brown and tan and dirty and old. What I can tell you ,tho, is that even in this zygote stage the kitchen is much, MUCH more enjoyable. Donny is enjoying the vast expanse of floor and has been doing this little tappity dance in the middle of the floor, under the shiny new light fixture.

Wednesday is the day when ALL THREE of the major appliances are scheduled for delivery. I'm also going to try and schedule the At Home Consultation with the Floor lady on Wednesday. Now, Tuesday I MIGHT make wallpaper day. I'm not sure if I'm feeling brave enough to do that but I just want to do the back wall and its such a small space. Also, I can't see how I could possibly make it worse. I'm trying to find a place that sells the vinyl paper that looks like anaglypta. Stay tuned.

A quick note before I write a longer entry with photos. Yesterday Mike had off of work so we decided it was time to buy the Major Appliances. Getting a new stove and dishwasher was surprisingly easy, thanks to Dennis at Sears in Monroeville. A couple of weeks ago, Mike and I had checked out the Scatch and Dent Sears Outlet in Lawrenceville and I was overwhelmed by the number of French Door with Freezer on the Bottom style refrigoraters that were within our price range. That was still the case when we went yesterday but the selection was much more limited. That and I saw the Fridge of My Dreams: this beautiful JennAir french door freezer on the bottom white with steel rod art deco handles. It would look SO GOOD in our kitchen! I was fully prepared to put $1500 on my Sears credit card just for looks. Mike had to pull me away. We went off board and got a stainless steel fridge, which is a great deal but does not look NEARLY French enough. Still, that's what magnets and postcards are for, right?

But here's your lesson in customer service: Don't assume the lady about to give you hundreds of dollars is a grandmother. Yep--I got it again: "That's right, honey! Run to Gramma!"